With All Our Love

Dear Tanner and Hunter,

What a week! Your grandparents were here through Wednesday evening. You'll remember last week's Skype phone call...how could you forget? Your grandfather's unexpected appearance in his pajamas, with all the laughs, was memorable. Your grandparents grew to love Granbury while they were here. The historic square was walked, the stores were perused, the library was visited and the used books were bought, the bookcases in a ten mile radius were measured, the golf swings assessed, the restaurants sampled...

...the basketball dribbling discussed...

...the princesses dissected...

...the culinary concoctions eaten, the mending darned, the wash cleaned, the errands run, the door fixed...we did all that needed to be done and then some.

To avoid traffic driving to the airport, and the cost of a shuttle service, Jarrod drove them the night before to the Marriott, wherein they enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and shuttle ride to the airport. May the odds be ever in my favor with another visit!

Thursday evening I went to the elementary school for Miller's first grade Thanksgiving play. He was adamant about his displeasure in being forced to participate. He was a preacher ("amen!"), a cute dancer, a satisfactory singer, and an enthusiastic exit-er.

Yesterday Dad and I went to Porter's second scrimmage. He's working with a new coach, that finally finished the football season and is now available to coach. He played most of the game...definitely a player you can tell they're very interested in developing to their way of playing basketball.

Cooper found out after going through basketball try outs all week that he did not make the team. We're thrilled he did this all on his own, and he's content to continue practicing his clarinet after school in the band room instead.

Miller found a blue blazer hanging in his closet yesterday, that I had pulled out of his bucket, and had an affinity for blazers moment that I would never had guessed would be possible from him. After his bath Saturday evening he ironed his white shirt and tie, and got dressed in his Sunday clothes so he could see what he looked like in his blazer. He loved it. He didn't want to take it off. Short of letting him sleep in it, I convinced him he wouldn't like it as much wrinkled so he took it off and carefully laid it on the bathroom floor until this morning. He looked very handsome, especially after we convinced him his collars weren't suppose to be up but to lay flat.

Miller also loves to dress up like a cowboy. I think with the weather turning cold, and him wearing jeans with belt loops, triggered the itch. He finds a belt, stuffs guns in his pockets, and wears his trusty felt hat. And usually his adventures include Breyer. Mostly as the object to be tackled, shot or lassoed.

In my lesson today I reminisced on Tanner's six hour service requirement for boy scouts, sewing quilts for the Linus Project. Knowing these were bereavement blankets I'm sure helped, but as he pieced and sewed those quilts together, his heart softened. It was easy from there to talk about what being truly converted means, and how our actions indicate whether or not we have a change of heart.

We love you! Nine more days! Until then, remember to be safe, to be happy, and who you belong to.

Love,

Mom

P.S. While the boys were working on their cooking merit badge requirements, the instructor showed them that if you indent your hamburger patties, in the middle, with your thumb, the burger won't shrink while it's cooking. They all thought that was a very good tip.